Inter v AC Milan: The sun shines on Milan, but not on its ‘Derby della Ombre’

Date: 17th April 2015 at 10:00am
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When the Nerazzurri host the Rossoneri on Sunday, there will be a different feel to the Derby della Madonnina than normal.

AC Milan v FC Internazionale Milano - Serie A

While both AC Milan and Inter are used to battling away at the top of the Serie A table, and even in Europe, Sunday’s encounter brings together two average sides who, on the field at least, are simply playing out their seasons.

The upcoming 2015-16 season will be the first time in European history that two seasons have gone by without a Milanese side in European competition. The worse is that the decline of both sides, while railed against by supporters, looks set to continue for some time.

Derby Della Madonnina

Even in Serie A terms, the proud industrial city is falling off the map this season.

Roma and Lazio have a combined 115 points so far this campaign; Juventus and Torino have 113. Even Sampdoria and Genoa’s 90 is a step up from Inter and AC Milan’s total of 83.

Rarely can a Derby della Madonnina have been so unimportant in the standings as Sunday’s encounter. One has to go back as far as 1958-59 to find a season both sides finished as low as 8th.

From this low ebb, there is no sign of an end in sight.

Modern football clubs are more closely linked to their finances than ever before, which has perhaps forced Silvio Berlusconi into the realisation that the cost of running a competitive European football club is something that he can no longer support. Subsequently, he is looking for investment from the Far East.

silvio berlusconi

Berlusconi might choose to cast his eye rather closer to home however, as a similar problem embroiled Massimo Moratti in recent times.

Eventually, Moratti was able to sell 70 percent of his share in Inter to Erick Thohir. However, instead of matching the fans’ expectations of big-money signings, the Nerazzurri’s dealings have been rather low-key.

Thohir’s cash injection has been largely used to steady the ship, rather than build a new armada. Financial Fair Play has hit Inter hard, and the scramble to balance the books has meant a new transfer policy and subsequently a downturn in form.

Erick Thohir Massimo Moratti Inter

Thohir was up front about his plans from the start, although it is unlikely he considered that his club would wane from being competitive quite so quickly.

Had Inter been closer to securing Champions League football, it would have helped ease the burden. Instead, Inter are now three seasons out of that competition.

Similarly, no longer able to be propped up by Berlusconi’s lavish spending, Adriano Galliani has come under increasing pressure from the AC Milan faithful recently due to his short-sighted bargain-buying.

Galliani - AC Milan

Signings such as Alessio Cerci and Jeremy Menez have both provided bright spots for the Rossoneri, but their ability is second tier compared to the ghosts of champions that still wander the halls of Milanello.

As such, any Milanisti hoping that the answer to their prayers is in the Far East might wish to consider the cloth-cutting going on across the city.

After spending decades outspending their means, both Inter and AC Milan will find the going tough in the new climate of Financial Fair Play — particularly if they continue to groundshare at a municipal stadium.

san siro

The San Siro is one of world football’s true cathedrals and will host next season’s Champions League Final.

Both Inter and AC Milan have mooted moves away from the stadium in order to maximise matchday revenue, and in order to regain the status both have enjoyed in the past. Such drastic measures may well need to be taken.

As it stands, Sunday evening’s Derby della Madonnina will be played out between two of the most famous and storied clubs in the world. It will be played at one of the most famous and spectacular stadiums in the world. But it will be played between two teams, who cannot count themselves amongst the elite, either in Europe or Italy.

It will be a long road back to the top for both clubs. History suggests that they will make it — both have endured lulls in the past and come back to the top.

For now, though, they will meet in a ‘Derby of Shadows’; people not watching because they expect good football, but rather drawn to it because of what has come before, and that is a sad indictment on both clubs.

Inter v AC Milan

 

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